january 2011 current events

8/6/2019 January 2011 Current Events

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January 2011 Current Events: World News

U.S. News| Business News| Disasters & Science News

Here are the key events in world news for the month of January 2011.

y Governor of Punjab Province, Pakistan, Assassinated (Jan. 4): The Governor of thePunjab Province, and a close ally of the President of Pakistan, is assassinated. Gov.Salman Taseer is shot getting into his car by Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, an elite-forcesecurity guard, who is apprehended immediately after the shooting.

y At Least 24 Die in Tunisian Protests (Jan. 11): At least two dozen people, mainlyyoung civilian men, are killed in government protests in Tunisia. The protesters areunhappy with the chronic unemployment they are facing in the country, as well asperceived police brutality. President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali ordered a night curfew, andschools and universities have been temporarily closed. (Jan. 14): After 23 years of

authoritarian rule, President Ben Ali flees Tunisia for Saudi Arabia amid protests. PrimeMinister Mohamed Ghannouchi announces he will take over as interim protests. It is thefirst time a President of an Arab country has been overthrown because of widespreadprotesting.

y 11 Cabinet Members Resign, Toppling Lebanese Government (Jan. 12): Hezbollahand its allies withdraw from the Lebanese government, breaking a unity government thathas been in place since 2009. Eleven of the 30 cabinet members resign. The governmenthas been in turmoil since 2005, when former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri wasassassinated.

y Egyptian President Asks Army to Intervene After Days of Violent Protest (Jan. 28):After days of violent protest in Cairo, Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak calls the army

into the streets to stop the demonstrators, protesting over government corruption, theeconomy, and lack of personal freedom. Those involved called the event a "day ofwrath"; the protests have stretched on for four days.

Here are the key events in business and science news for the month of January 2011.

y Economy Adds 103,000 Jobs in December; Unemployment Dips to 9.4% (Jan. 7):The U.S. economy added 103,000 jobs in the month of December 2010, while theunemployment dipped just slightly, to 9.4% from 9.8% in November.

y Steve Jobs Takes Leave of Absence (Jan. 17): Apple chief executive and co-founderSteve Jobs announces he will take a medical leave of absence. Jobs suffered frompancreatic cancer in the past, receiving surgery for the disease in 2004. He returned fromhis first leave of absence a year and a half ago after a liver transplant.

y Google Co-Founder Larry Page Takes Over Chief Executive Post (Jan. 20): LarryPage, the co-founder of Google and the president of products, takes over the chiefexecutive position at the company, a surprise move. Eric Schmidt has been the chiefexecutive since 2001; he will remain at the company as executive chairman and Page'sadvisor.


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Here are the key events in Science and Disasters news for the month of January 2011.

y Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Among 17 Shot in Assassination Attempt, Six Killed (Jan.

8): Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords is shot in an assassination attempt in

Arizona. She is among at least 17 shot by a gunman who opened fire on thecongresswoman's constituent meeting outside a local grocery store. Six people are fatallywounded, including United States District Court Judge John Roll, and a young girl. Thegunman, who police identify as Jared Lee Loughner, is apprehended and remains inpolice custody. Rep. Giffords, who was shot in the head, is hospitalized and in criticalcondition. (Jan. 9): Loughner is charged with five federal counts for the Arizonashooting spree, including attempted assasination of a member of Congress. Rep. Giffordsis still in critical condition, though her doctors are optimistic about her recovery.Authorities believe Loughner acted alone.

y At Least 8 Die in Australian Flooding (Jan. 10): At least 8 people are dead and over 70missing after massive flooding ravages Brisbane, Australia. The area has seen weeks of

heavy rain and flooding, killing at least 18 people over the past two months. The regionhad been suffering from drought for 10 years.y Bombing in Moscow Airport Kills At Least 35, Wounds 168 (Jan. 24): A suicide

bomber kills at least 35 and wounds at least 168 in an attack on a Moscow aiport. Theblast occured in the international arrivals section of the airport. Authorities are as yetunsure who masterminded the bombing.

February 2011 Current Events: World News

U.S. News| Business News| Disasters & Science News

Here are the key events in world news for the month of February 2011.

y Unrest in Middle East Spreads to Bahrain (Feb. 14): Violence erupts in Bahrain asprotestors, inspired by recent events in Egypt and Tunisia, select Feb. 14th as a day ofprotest to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the National Action Charter. Bahrain isthe most recent country facing unpheaval among its citizens, mirroring the instability inYemen, Iran, and Libya.

y Libya on Brink of Civil War (Feb. 24): Civilians and defected soldiers seeking theremoval of Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi hold off his forces in cities close to Tripoli, Libya'scapital. Unlike the Facebook-enabled youth rebellions in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia,the insurrection in Libya is being led by people who have been actively opposing theregime for some time. In a series of determined stands these rebel forces are proving tobe a well-armed revolutionary movement.

y Security Council Approves Sanctions on Libya (Feb. 26): The UN Security Councilvotes unanimously to impose strong sanctions on Libya's leader, Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi, and his inner circle of advisers. The council also calls for an international warcrimes investigation into "widespread and systemic attacks" against Libyan citizens.


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Here are the key events in United States news for the month of February 2011.

y Packers Beat Steelers in Super Bowl XLV (Feb. 6): The Green Bay Packers take thechampionship back to Titletown after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 3125 in the most-

watched television broadcast ever. An estimated 111 million people tune in to seequarterback Aaron Rogers lead the Packers to their 13th league championship, more thanany other team in the NFL.

y President Obama Proposes 2012 Federal Budget (Feb. 14): The $3.8 trillion budgetproposal by President Obama runs into immediate trouble in Congress among lawmakerswho say it tries to do too much while cutting the deficit too little. Republicans and liberalbudget experts agree that the plan doesn't go far enough to reduce the deficit, despite a$1.6 trillion savings over 10 years.

y Teachers and State Employees Protest in Wisconsin (Feb. 15): New Wis. governorScott Walker puts forward a plan to cut the bargaining rights and benefits of publicworkers. State employees and teachers stage protests in Madison, camping out with

sleeping bags near the Capitol's rotunda. Democratic senators flee Wisconsin in order tohalt action in the state Senate.

y Obama Administration Determines Defense of Marriage Act Unconstitutional (Feb.23): In a legal and political shift, President Obama determines that the Defense ofMarriage Act is unconstitutional. The Justice Department will stop defending the law incourt. The Defense of Marriage Act is the 1996 law that bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages. The administration previously supported the constitutional right ofCongress to enact the measure. Two current lawsuits challenging the 1996 law asunconstitutional forced President Obama and his legal team to revise their position,concluding that gay people qualify for the greater protection afforded to a handful ofcategories, like gender or race.

Here are the key events in business news for the month of February 2011.

y Verizon Offers iPhone 4 (Feb. 10): Verizon begins offering the iPhone 4, givingconsumers an option other than AT&T, and fueling the rivalry between the two wirelesscarriers. Recent reviews of the Verizon iPhone have found that it drops fewer calls thanthe AT&T version. Customers in N.D., S.D., Mont., and Wyo., which are not currentlyserviced by AT&T, will now be able to purchase an iPhone from Verizon.

y The End of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Feb. 11): The U.S. Treasury Dept submits areport to Congress proposing the eventual elimination of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,part of the Obama administration's plan to reform the U.S. housing finance market. Thereport concludes that Fannie and Freddie strayed from their primary business goal ofpromoting sustainable home ownership when they extended credit to riskier borrowers.The report also lays out reforms to fix flaws in the mortgage market through strongerconsumer protection, improved underwriting standards, and increased transparency forinvestors.

y Borders Files for Bankruptcy (Feb. 16): The 40-year-old retail chain that helped usherin the age of the book superstore files for bankruptcy protection. Borders, which began as


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a used bookstore in Ann Arbor, Mich. and expanded wildly in the 1990s, now operatesover 650 stores and employs 19,500 people. Due to over-expansion, executive turnover,and a failure to capitalize on the digital revolution, Borders is set to close 200 stores andgreatly reduce its staff in the coming weeks.

Here are the key events in Science and Disasters news for the month of February 2011.

y Sun Erupts With Most Powerful Solar Flare in Four Years (Feb. 14): An X-classsolar flare, the most powerful form of solar flare, erupts and jams radio communicationsin China. Such a solar blast has the potential to disrupt electrical power grids andsatellites used on Earth.

y Northern Lights Enhanced by Solar Flare (Feb. 17): The Aurora Borealis, commonlyknown as the northern lights, are more prominent due to the recent solar flare eruption.Thanks to the solar flare, the Aurora Borealis are visible farther south, even into thenorthern tier of the United States.

y

Earthquake Strikes New Zealand's Second Largest City (Feb. 22): A 6.3-magnitudeearthquake hits Christchurch, New Zealand, killing at least 75 people. The U.S.Geological Survey reports the earthquake is part of an aftershock sequence from a 7.1earthquake that hit the same area last Sept.

Here are the key events in world news for the month of March 2011.

y Egyptian Protestors Demand Faster Change and Accountability (March 6): Newlyappointed Prime Minister Essam Sharaf addresses tens of thousands of protestors inTahrir Square, where demonstrators press for faster and more substantive changes. The

former interior minister, Habib el-Adly, pleads not guilty to corruption charges. A seriesof fires break out in government security and financial investigation offices angeringprotestors who suspect that senior officials are trying to destroy evidence that willimplicate more of them in corruption and human rights abuses.

y Upheaval Continues in Libya (March 7): Government warplanes repeatedly bombrebel positions near an oil refinery in the coastal city of Ras Lanuf, seeking to drive themback to the east, as the country's slide into civil war continues. In Tripoli, governmentsupporters celebrate after state television falsely reports that Col. Qaddafi's forces hadregained the entire country.

y Yemen President Rejects Proposal to Step Down (March 7): President Ali AbdullahSaleh rejects the political opposition's proposal that he step down by the end of the year,calling it undemocratic and unconstitutional, the official Saba news agency reports. Salehcalls for a national conference to be held, which is rejected by the opposition.

y Thousands Protest in Bahrain (March 8): Thousands of Shiite protestors form a humanchain around the Manama, the capital of Bahrain while hundreds demonstrate outside theU.S. Embassy in an appeal for support. Opposition leaders vow that they will not bemollified by offers of money and jobs.

y Interim Government Dissolves State Security Dept. in Tunisia (March 8): The StateSecurity Dept., which had been accused of human rights abuses under the ousted


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president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, is disbanded by the interim government in Tunisia.The prime minister also names a new cabinet, selecting new leaders for six ministrieswhile retaining ministers in significant agencies like defense, interior, and justice.

y Bahrain Cracks Down on Demonstrators (March 18): Bahrain brings in troops fromSaudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to crack down against peaceful protestors

clamoring for reform. The government also tears down the monument in Pearl Square,the site of many protests. The 300-foot sculpture, a stone pearl held by six sweepingarches, is seen by protestors as the defining monument of the protest movement. Theofficial Bahrain News Agency reports the change as a "face-lift" to "boost the flow oftraffic."

y No-Fly Zone is Imposed in Libya (March 19): American and European forces unleashwarplanes and missiles, striking against the government of Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi ina mission to impose a UN-sanctioned no-fly zone. The goals of the no-fly zone are tokeep Col. Qaddafi from using air power against rebel forces and to prevent a massacre inLibya. French warplanes begin the campaign. U.S. forces knock out air defense systemsas well as missile, radar, and communication centers around Tripoli, Misurata, and Surt.

NATO plans to take over the operation and enforce the no-fly zone.y Military Kill Protestors in Syria (March 25): Troops open fire in the southern part of

Syria after tens of thousands take to the streets in peaceful protests around the nation. Atleast twenty demonstrators are killed.

y Cabinet Resigns in Syria (March 29): President Bashar al-Assad accepts theresignation of his cabinet. The cabinet resignation reflects a rare responsiveness to publicpressure by the Syrian government. Meanwhile, in the capital, government supporterstake to the streets in an effort to counter the ongoing pro-democracy protests in severalcities.

Here are the key events in business news for the month of March 2011.

y Oil Drilling to Resume in the Gulf (March 1): The Interior Dept approves the first newdeepwater drilling permit in the Gulf of Mexico since the BP explosion and spill lastspring. The approval is a milestone after a period of industry uncertainty and a U.S.reassessment of offshore oil and gas regulation.

y Apple Unveils iPad 2 (March 2): Apple releases the iPad 2, offering severalimprovements over its predecessor, while not increasing the price. The iPad 2, like theoriginal, starts at $499. Apple's competitors in tablets cannot beat or even match thatprice. Apple has sold 15 million of the original since the iPad's release last April,generating $9.5 billion in revenue.

y AT&T Buys T-Mobile (March 20): AT&T has agreed to buy T-Mobile for $39 billion.The deal will make AT&T the largest carrier in the nation and leaves just three majorcellular companies in the field: AT&T, Verizon, and the much smaller Sprint Nextel.

Here are the key events in United States news for the month of March 2011.


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y President Obama Signs Two-Week Budget Extension (March 2): Congress approvesa two-week extension that keeps federal agencies open through March 18 while workcontinues to reach a budget agreement. President Obama signs the extension and calls forhigh-level negotiations to bridge budgetary differences between CongressionalDemocrats and Republicans.

y

National Football League Shuts Down (March 12): NFL owners and players can notagree to terms of a new collective bargaining agreement before the current one expires,even after an extension and 16 sessions with a federal mediator. The two sides remain farapart on the percentage of revenue each will receive. Players want full financialdisclosure from owners to verify claims that profit margins are shrinking. Ownersannounce that they are locking out the players. Players file an injunction to prevent thelockout from happening. Players also file an antitrust suit against the NFL, withquarterbacks Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees among the plaintiffs.

y Senate Approves Stopgap Budget (March 17): The Senate passes a measure to keepthe government open through April 8th while budget talks continue. This is the secondbudget extension enacted to avoid a government shutdown.

Here are the key events in Science and Disasters news for the month of March 2011.

y Hawaiian Volcano Erupts (March 7): The Kilauea Volcano, thought to be one of themost active in the world, erupts, spewing lava through new cracks. The eruption causesmore than 150 detectable earthquakes in the area, but no damage is reported.

y Massive 9.0 Magnitude Earthquake and Tsunami Devastate Japan (March 11):Japan is hit by an enormous earthquake that triggers a deadly 23-foot tsunami in thecountry's north. The earthquake, Japan's largest ever, hit about 230 miles northeast ofTokyo. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issues warnings for Russia, Taiwan,Hawaii, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and the westcoasts the U.S., Mexico, Central America, and South America. Cooling systems in one ofthe reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station fail shortly after theearthquake, causing a nuclear crisis.

y Earthquake of 6.8 Magnitude Hits Myanmar (March 24): A powerful earthquakestrikes northeastern Myanmar, toppling homes and killing more than 70 people. Tremorsfrom the earthquake are felt hundreds of miles away, in cities as far away as Bangkok andHanoi.

Here are the key events in world news for the month of April 2011.

y Former Ivory Coast President Captured (April 11): French Military storm theresidence of former president Laurent Gbagbo and capture him. The West African nationhas been in the middle of a civil war because Gbagbo refuses to accept the results of thepresidential election last year, which he lost. Gbagbo's arrest ends a four-month standoffthat has left hundreds dead.

y French Legislation Bans Full-Face Coverings (April 11): France bans the wearing offull veils in public, becoming the first European nation to impose the restriction. The bancauses protests in Paris and several other cities. The new restriction also has many


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Muslims worrying about their rights as French citizens. Covering the face is consideredby some Muslims as a religious obligation. Supporters of the ban view it as necessary topreserve French culture and to combat what they claim are separatist actions in Muslims.

y Libyan Rebels Reject Truce Plan (April 12): The African Union presents a plan inLibya, which they call a road map for political settlement. The plan includes a suspension

of NATO airstrikes and a cease-fire. Col. al-Qaddafi accepts the plan, but the rebelsreject it, saying it does not meet their basic demand that Qaddafi leave powerimmediately. (April 30): Col. al-Qaddafi survives an NATO airstrike that kills one of hissons and three grandchildren. It is the second airstrike within a week to hit a locationclose to the Libyan leader.

y Three Billion Watch Prince William Marry Kate Middleton (April 29): A millionpeople line the streets, half a million gather in front of Buckingham Palace, and twobillion tune in via television or computer to see Kate Middleton marry Prince William.Middleton receives rave reviews for wearing a modern, but restrained wedding dressdesigned by Sarah Burton, the creative director for the late Alexander McQueen.

Here are the key events in business news for the month of April 2011.

y Hole in Jet Sidelines Several Southwest Planes (April 1): A five-foot hole rips open inthe roof of a Southwest Airlines jet traveling to Sacramento from Phoenix. The plane, a15-year-old Boeing 737-300 carrying 118 passengers makes an emergency landing atYuma Marine Corps Air Station in Arizona. No one is seriously injured. SouthwestAirlines reports that the hole is from cracks in the aluminum due to fatigue. Boeing, themaker of the jetliner, says that the metal fatigue is happening earlier than expected.Southwest Airlines cancels several flights to run inspections. Inspections find similarcracks in 2 Boeing 737 jetliners, but 19 other planes are tested and cleared. Southwestplans to test 58 more planes.

y BP Wants to Resume Drilling in Gulf (April 4): BP is asking U.S. regulators forpermission to resume drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The request puts the Obamaadministration in the hot seat as it seeks to balance the need to increase domestic oilproduction with safety concerns. The petition comes less than a year after a rig leased byBP exploded, killing 11 workers and causing a huge oil spill.

y Pringles Sell for 2.35 Billion (April 5): Diamond Foods buys Pringles from Proctor &Gamble for $2.35 billion. Pringles, considered a flop until the company tweaked its flavorin 1980, is Proctor & Gamble's last food brand.

Here are the key events in United States news for the month of April 2011.

y Possible Shutdown of Federal Government Goes Down-to-the-Wire (April 1): Thepartisan debate over spending cuts pushes the federal budget agreement to its deadline.Republicans demand a provision to restrict financing to Planned Parenthood and othergroups that provide abortions. Obama and the Democrats refuse to budge on the abortionprovision, but they do agree to tens of billions in spending cuts. With less than two hours


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to spare, an agreement on the federal budget is made, narrowly avoiding a governmentshutdown.

y U.S. Finds More Threats at Japan's Nuclear Plant (April 6): U.S. governmentengineers helping with the crisis in Japan warn that the troubled Daiichi nuclear powerplant is still facing many threats. Major concerns are the stresses placed on the

containment structures that are now filled with radioactive cooling water and thepossibility of further explosions inside those structures due to the release of hydrogen andoxygen from the water. Despite assurances by health officials that radiation from thestricken plant is unlikely to show up in food supplies; worry among consumers andbusinesses in the U.S. continues to grow. Leading Chefs, such as Eric Ripert whoserestaurant Le Bernardin is known for its seafood, are now scanning fish with a radiationdetector as a precaution.

y Players and the NFL Return to Mediation (April 11): After hearing arguments in theplayers' request for an injunction to stop the NFL lockout, Judge Susan Richard Nelson ofU. S. District Court imposes forced mediation on the two sides. Nelson appoints Arthur J.Boylan, the chief federal magistrate judge in Minneapolis as the mediator. This is a loss

for the league because now a potential deal can be overseen by the court, somethingowners wanted to avoid. (April 25): Players win an injunction to stop the lockout, but arenot allowed to work out at team facilities until Friday. (April 29): The U.S. Court ofAppeals for the Eighth Circuit temporarily delays the injunction to stop the lockout,preventing players from returning to their team facilities for meetings and workouts.

y President Obama Releases Birth Certificate (April 27): In an effort to end anescalating controversy, President Obama releases a long-form birth certificate. The birthcertificate from 1961 proves that he was born at Kapiolani Maternity & GynecologicalHospital in Honolulu.

Here are the key events in Science and Disasters news for the month of April 2011.

y Gunman Opens Fire at Former School in Brazil (April 7): A 23-year-old formerstudent returns to his public elementary school and begins firing, killing at least 12children before shooting himself in the head. It is the worst school shooting Brazil hasever seen.

y Aftershocks Continue to Rattle Japan (April 11): A second earthquake in five dayshits Japan, this one a magnitude of 6.6. A tsunami warning is issued, but later canceled.The earthquakes are seen as aftershocks, coming just a month after the area was hit by theearthquake and tsunami that has killed over 13,000 people and led to a disaster at theDaiichi nuclear power plant.

y Japan Equates Nuclear Incident with Chernobyl (April 12): Japan raises itsassessment of the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to Level 7, theworst rating on the international scale, putting the disaster on par with the 1986Chernobyl explosion. Developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency along withcountries who use nuclear energy, the scale defines level 7 as a nuclear accident thatinvolves "widespread health and environmental effects" and the "external release of asignificant fraction of the reactor core inventory."


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y Series of Tornadoes Devastate Southern States (April 27): In one of the worst U.S.tornado disasters, 137 reported tornadoes sweep through the south, killing nearly 300people in six states. Most of the fatalities occur in Alabama.

Here are the key events in world news for the month of May 2011.

y Osama bin Laden is Killed in Pakistan (May 1): U.S. troops and CIA operatives shootand kill Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a city of 500,000 people that houses amilitary base and a military academy. Following a fire fight, the troops descend upon thecompound and shoot Osama bin Laden after he reportedly refuses to surrender. News ofbin Laden's death brings cheers and a sense of relief worldwide. (May 13): Two suicide

bombers attack recruits leaving a paramilitary training center in Shabqadar, Pakistan.Eighty people are killed and 120 are wounded in the first retaliation for the killing of binLaden. The Taliban immediately claims responsibility and blames the Pakistani militaryfor failing to stop the U.S. raid.

y Syria Forces Go Door-to-Door to Make Arrests (May 5): Syrian security forces raid aDamascus suburb, going house to house and arresting men, in an effort to increase theircrackdown of the country's uprising against four decades of authoritarian rule. Humanrights organizations say that at least 286 men, most between the ages of 18 and 50, havebeen arrested.

y IMF Head Arrested For Sexual Assault (May 14): Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head ofthe International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a leading political figure in France, is

arrested for sexually assaulting a maid at a Manhattan hotel. Strauss-Kahn is removedfrom an Air France Plane at Kennedy International Airport and taken into custody.Reaction in France to the arrest is a mixture of anger, disbelief, and embarrassment, withpolls showing that most people thought he was set up. (May 18:) Strauss-Kahn,considered by many as a favorite to oust President Nicolas Sarkozy in the next election,resigns as managing director of the IMF. (May 19:) A grand jury indicts Strauss-Kahn onmultiple charges, including committing a criminal sex act, attempted rape, and sexualabuse.

Here are the key events in United States news for the month of May 2011.

y Data Shows Bin Laden Plotted Attacks (May 5): Documents and Computer files foundat the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed show that he played a direct role inplotting terror attacks for years. The evidence prompts the Obama administration to issuea warning that last year Al Qaeda considered attacks on American railroads.

y Late Minute Jockey Substitute Wins Kentucky Derby (May 7):Two days after hishorse, Uncle Mo, is scratched from the race, Jockey John Velazquez wins the KentuckyDerby riding Animal Kingdom. Velazquez agrees to be a last minute substitute for


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Animal Kingdom's regular rider, Robby Albarado, who broke his nose four days beforethe race.

Here are the key events in business news for the month of May 2011.

y MTV Chief Resigns After Thirty Years (May 5): Judy McGrath, the chief executive ofMTV Networks resigns, ending the tenure of one of the most powerful women intelevision. McGrath leaves MTV Networks, which includes MTV, Comedy Central,Nickelodeon, and VH1, while both ratings and profits are surging. An offer by MTVNetworks is made to McGrath that would greatly change her role. Instead of taking theoffer, she walks away from the Network.

y OWN Ousts Chief (May 6): After just 4 months, Christina Norman is dismissed as thechief executive of the Oprah Winfrey Network. Despite the star power of Oprah Winfreyand several million dollars invested, the channel is receiving low ratings, barelyoutperforming Discovery Health, the channel it replaced. Peter Ligouri, chief operating

officer for Discovery Communications, will take over at least until the end of 2011.

Here are the key events in Science and Disasters news for the month of May 2011.

y Floods Force Evacuations Along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers (May 5): Heavyrains cause flooding in the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys. People in Missouri,Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas are forced to leave their homes. TheCorps of Engineers intentionally breach a levee south of where the Ohio River meets theMississippi in order to lower river levels and prevent widespread flooding incommunities like Cairo, Illinois. (May 14): The Army Corps of Engineers opens a

portion of the Morganaza Spillway to relieve pressure on levees along the MississippiRiver and to protect New Orleans and other areas downriver from floods. The decision toopen the Morganaza Spillway does have consequences. Water will pour into theAtchafalaya River basin, flooding marshes, bayous, farmland, and thousands of homes.

(May 15): According to the Army Corps of Engineers, the Mississippi River breaks theelevation record in Vicksburg, Miss., which was set by the 1927 flood. The river rises to56.3 feet, 13 feet above the flood stage. The river is flowing by a rate of nearly 17 milliongallons a second.

AE

y Carmelo Anthony, Basketball player

y Michele Bachmann, U.S. Representative (Rep., Min.)

y Rebecca Black, Singer, internet personality

y Osama bin Laden, Most-wanted terrorist is killed in Pakistan

y John Boehner, Current Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives

y Ann Curry, TV personality, journalist


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y Tom DeLay, Former U.S. Representative (Rep., Tex.) convicted and imprisoned on money

laundering charges

y Rahm Emanuel, Former Chief of Staffin the Obama Administration, newly elected Mayor of

Chicago

y Mohamed EdBaradei, Political figure, activist in Egyptian protests

FL

y Colin Firth, Oscar winning actor

y Muammar Gaddafi, Political leader

y Lady Gaga, Grammy winning singer, songwriter

y Gabrielle Giffords, U.S. Representative (Dem., Ariz.) shot and wounded during assassination

attempt

y Newt Gingrich, Political figure

y Tim Hetherington, photographer, filmmaker

y Mike Huckabee, Political figure, former Governor of Arkansasy Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple computers

y Lara Logan, TV newscaster

y Susan Lucci, Actor

y Sidney Lumet, Director

MQ

y Kate Middleton, Wife of Prince William of the UK

y Pippa Middleton, celebrity relativey HosniMubarak, President of Egypt

y Navy SEALs Team Six, military operatives responsible for bringing down Osama bin Laden

y Michelle Obama, First Lady, childhood nutrition advocate

y Larry Page, Co-Founder of Google

y Tim Pawlenty, Former Governor ofMinnesota, the first Republican to announce his run for the

job of U.S. president in 2012

y Natalie Portman, Oscar winning actor

RZ

y Mitt Romney, Political figure, business personality

y Paul Ryan, U.S. Representative (Rep., Wis.)

y Teresa Scanlan, Miss America 2011

y Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bodybuilder, actor, former Governor of California

y Charlie Sheen, Actor

y Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Political figure, economist

y Julie Taymor, Filmmaker, theater director, puppeteer


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y Elizabeth Taylor, Oscar winning actor, activist

y Donald Trump, Business personality, TV personality

y Steven Tyler, singer, TV personality

y Scott Walker, Governor of Wisconsin

y Betty White, Actor, comedian

y Kristen Wiig, Actor, comedian, co-writer of the film, Bridesmaids

y Prince William, British Royalty

y Oprah Winfrey, Media personality

y Wonder Woman, Cartoon character

IPL Awards 2011 (Golden Player 2011, IPL rising star)

Indian Premier League Awards 2011

Golden Player of the Tournament has been won by Chris Gayle from Royal Challengers Bangalore for his

consistent performance with Bat. He has scored 608 runs in 12 Matches and had taken six wickets.

Best Individual Player Award was been given to Paul Valthaty from Kings XI Punjab for his wonderful

knock in the 2011 season.

Rising Star award was clinched by Iqbal Abdulla from Kolkata Knight Riders for his performance with the

ball. He has taken 16 wickets in 15 matches.

Current affairs, is the mainstay of the civil service examination, what with one portion of the exam

dedicated to general studies. The current affairs of india and international current event affairs, are animportant part of the general studies paper, both in the mains and the prelims. At the interview currentaffairs news rules and decides the rank of the candidate and even whether s/he will get through or not. Insuch a scenario the coverage of current affairs in india as well as current world affairs, becomes animportant part of your preprations.

Article

People in the News

Places in the News

Discuss Current Affairs

Current Affairs Quiz - new

For the very purpose of getting you ready for the challenge that is Current Affairs In India, we arecovering the 2011 current affairs including politics current affair, current affair news, science currentaffairs, general knowledge current affair, current government affair and international current affairs. Onlystudying India's current affairs or political current affairs is not sufficient as you have to cover international


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events and current affairs along with the Indian current affairs, as well as those in the field of science andsports.

Current Affairs For February 2011

National

2G scam: Former Telecom Minister A.Raja sent to Tihar Jail

y Former Telecom Minister A Raja was sent to Tihar Jail in Jail in Delhi on Feb 17th in relation tothe 2G scam. He will be in judicial custody for fourteen days until March 3rd. He was also earlierarrested by the CBI on 2nd Feb and was held in their custody in view of the evidence they hadcollected against him regarding his involvement in the 2G scam. A. Raja has been accused ofissuing 2G licenses at throw away prices creating massive losses for the exchequer. According tothe national auditor CAG, the 2G spectrum phone licenses were sold in 2008 for a fraction of theirvalue and this has resulted in a notional loss of Rs. 1.76 lakh crores. The 2 G scam has created

major uproar in Parliament and has sent shock waves across the country.

ULFA, government begin Assam peace talks

y Leaders of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) met Home Minister P.Chidambaram on Feb 10 to signify the start of the much long-awaited peace talks aimed atending 30 long years of insurgency in Assam. History was created when the eight member ULFAteam headed by Arabinda Rajkhowa met Chidambaram at his North Block office for a first roundof peace talks. This is a highly significant development considering ULFA has been trying since1979 to carve out an independent homeland of Assam. While ULFA has not put up any demandsor finalised any agenda for talks, the beginning of talks itself is being seen as a very positive stepto restoring peace in the state.

PM announces JPC on 2G spectrum scam

y Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced that his government would set up the JointPariamentry Committee (JPC) to investigate the 2G spectrum scam. The government finallyagreeing to introduce the JPC does not come about as unexpected. With the opposition beingabsolutely unrelenting in their demands for the introduction of the probe, the Congress had tofinally give in. The previous years winter session in parliament ended with only ten working hourson record. In order to ensure that the budget session does not get similarly affected, severalmeetings with the different political parties were set up and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjeetried to bring about a compromise, which in the end proved to be futile. In the Lok Sabha, on thefirst day of the budget session the PM said On account of the controversy relating to allocation of2G spectrum, the winter session of Parliament was lost. Our country can ill-afford this...inparalyzing Parliament, we all do disservice to those who have elected us. Later on he alsoannounced the introduction of the probe when he went on to add It is in these specialcircumstances that our government agrees to a JPC...we are a functioning democracy and musttry to resolve our difference is the spirit of collaboration not competition.

Govt to release Rs. 150 coin soon

y With the Income Tax Department celebrating 150 years of taxation in the country the governmentwill issue coins of Rs. 150 in denomination. The special coins which also includes Rs 5denomination would be released by the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee ahead of his budget


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speech. The Rs 150 coin is prepared from an alloy of copper, nickel, silver and zinc. SathyamevaJayathe and India would be engraved on the front side of the coin while the back side willfeature a portrait of portrait of 'Chanakya and lotus with honeybee'. The Rs 5 coins will also beminted in a similar fashion. This is a special occasion with the IT department having completed150 years of taxation from 1860 to 2010.

HC upholds Death Penalty for Kasab

y The Bombay High Court on Feb 21 confirmed the death penalty to 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasaband termed the case being the rarest of rare and held that there was "no scope of reform" of theconvict. This comes nine months after the lone 26/11 terrorist who was captured alive wasordered to be sent to the gallows by the trial court on May 6, 2010. Kasab, an LeT operative wascaptured alive at Girgaum Chowpatty in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 while none otheroperatives who has come with him were gunned down by the security forces at the terror sites.Justice Ranjana Desai told Kasab through video conferencing "Aapko saza-e-maut yeh adalatbarkarar karti hai. Aap Supreme Court mein appeal zari kar sakte hain (Your death sentence isupheld. You can appeal before the Supreme Court,"

Godhra verdict: Ahmedabad court convicts 31, acquits 63

y A special court in Ahmedabad on February 22nd convicted 31 people and acquitted 63 includingmain accused Maulvi Umarji, in the 2002 Godhra train burning incident that left 59 people deadmostly Kar Sevaks who were returning from Ayodhya on the Sabarmati Express. This triggeredthe 2002 Gujarat communal riots which left over 1200 people dead mostly Muslims. The courtwas the first one to pronounce a judgment, among the nine trying the 2002 Gujarat riots cases.The court accepted the prosecutions contention that there was a conspiracy behind the incident.

Apart from the charges of murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy, the accused wereconvicted under IPC sections 147, 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), 323, 324, 325, 326(causing hurt), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on religious grounds), varioussections of the Indian Railways Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and BombayPolice Act.

Kidnapped Malkangiri Collector, junior engineer released

y Malkangiri District Collector RV Krishna and Junior Engineer Pabitra Majhi were finally releasedby the Maoists after being kept for a week in captivity. The two were abducted by the Maoists onFeb 16th and the Maoists in a letter to the government, listed 14 demands for the safe release ofthe two hostages. These included halting anti-Maoist operations by security forces, release of allpolitical prisoners, scrapping of accords with MNCs for land transfer and projects, andcompensation for the families of Maoist sympathizers killed in police custody. DandapaniMohanty and academicians G. Haragopal and R. Someswar Rao were chosen as mediators andhad discussions with the Maoists. The negotiators had made the government agree to 14 keydemands including the release of Ganti Prsadam, Padma (wife of top Maoist Ram Krishna), andSriramulu Srinivas, another top Maoist. After intense round of negotiations the government finallyrelented and made arrangements to secure bails for the jailed Maoists. A further twist in the tale

occurred when the Maoists released only Majhi and held back the Collector making a fresh list ofdemands. However after another round of discussion, common sense prevailed and the Maoistsreleased the collector a day later.

Sports News


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Cricket World Cup 2011 Officially Opened

y The 10th edition of the ICC cricket World Cup, was officially launched on 17th Feb with a grandopening ceremony being held in Dhaka, Bangaldesh. The stadium was filled with spectators andevening proved to be visual spectacle with colourful fireworks, songs and dance routines to markthe start of the eagerly awaited event. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the

event open amid thundering cheers while the fourteen participating Captains were revealed to thepublic being carried in tricycles. Shankar Ehsaan Loy and other popular artists performed at thevenue with the show stopper being Bryan Adams.

National Games Held in Jharkand

y The 34th National Games, was finally held in Jharkand and the event turned to be verysuccessful. The games were held from 12th February 2011 to 26th February 2011.Many athletesall over the country took part in various disciplines and quite a few records were broken in theprocess. The long-postponed 34th National Games was originally scheduled for 2007. TheGames have been deferred six times four times due to delay in developing infrastructure andthen postponed again due to the coming of Assemble Elections.

India start their Word cup campaign on a bright note

y India played Bangladesh at Mirpur in the first WC match of the tournament on Feb 19. Indiastarted with a bang scoring 375 with both Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli hitting sensationalhundreds to take the match away from the hosts. Sehwag particularly looked murderous. TheIndian team was expected to be under pressure to perform well against Bangladesh as theirprevious campaign in 2007 resulted in an early exit and left many disappointed fans back athome.

Viswanathan Anand regains No.1 Ranking Again

y World Champion Viswanathan Anand played against Magnus Carlsen of Norway to end the

match in hard fought draw and finished second in the Bilbao Final Masters chess tournament. Butthe icing on the cake was when the Indian ace dethroned Carlsen from the number one ranking inLive rating list for the first time since January this year and ended up as the top player in ratingstoo.

Brazilian striker Ronaldo announces retirement

y Former Brazil striker Ronaldo announced his retirement from soccer on Feb 14. The 34-year-oldthree-time world player had a year end contract with Corinthians. But a shock loss led to an earlyelimination from the Libertadores Cup and violent protests from fans. Ronaldo further added thatfrequent injury problems were one of the main reasons in him deciding to announce hisretirement. Thus ends a brilliant career in which he scored more than 400 goals including arecord 15 at World Cups.

International News

Mubarak resigns, Egypt celebrates


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y The people of Egypt went wild with celebrations after President Hosni Mubarak resigned andhanded power to the military on 11th February. For eighteen days thousands of people had takento the streets all over Egypt demanding the ouster of their autocratic President who had been inpower for the past thirty years. One of the key reasons for such public outrage has beenwidespread poverty, inflation and rampant corruption in the government for many years. TahrirSquare, the epicentre of the anti-government protests burst with joy when the announcement wasmade. This has been a hard fought struggle for the people of Egypt after many episodes ofviolence having been reported between the public and Mubaraks forces.

China overtakes Japan as world's second-biggest economy

y China has now overtaken Japan as the world's second-biggest economy. Japan's economy wasworth $5.474 trillion (3.414 trillion) at the end of 2010, figures from Tokyo have shown while thatof China's economy is closer to $5.8 trillion for the same period. China has been enjoying amanufacturing boom for quite a few years now and it is expected that at its current rate of growth,analysts see China replacing the US as the world's top economy in about a decade. The USeconomy is currently almost three times the size of the Chinese economy in dollar terms.

New Zealand earthquake strikes Christchurch, killing at least 148 people

y A massive earthquake on 22nd Feb has caused massive destruction in the city of Christchurch,New Zealand. The 6.3-magnitude earthquake was the second in five months for the city and thedeath toll continues to increase with the police having confirmed 148 deaths with 200 still missing.The damage caused has been said to be much worse than the 7.1-magnitude quake on 4September, which left two people seriously injured but no fatalities. The city's historic cathedralwas one of the many buildings that got significantly damaged, while cars lay in a mangled heapunder a pile of rubble and roads cracked open with fissures as a result of the tremors. Dazed,bleeding residents could be seen wandering through streets strewn with debris and piles ofconcrete.

Libyan people take to the streets in their demand for freedom

y Inspired by the outcomes of Tunisia and Egypt over the past few weeks the people of Libya havealso taken out to the streets in their cries for freedom against their autocratic leader MuammarGaddafi. Thousands of people have joined the struggle and there have been continuous reportsof frequent clashes with the Muammars loyalists and the protesting public. Scores of people havebeen reported killed in continuing violence in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, amid escalating protestsagainst Muammar Gaddafi's 40-year rule across the North African nation. With each passing daythe leader seems to be losing support from people working in his own government and is alsounder increasing pressure from International powers to step down.

The Kings Speech Wins Best Picture at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards

y The Kings Speech had a great outing at this years Oscars winning four awards. The film won in

the best picture category and its director Tom Hooper received Best Director. Colin Firth receivedthe award for best actor for his central role in Kings Speech while best female actor went toNatalie Portman for Black Swan. The Best Supporting Actor and The Best Supporting Actressawards were bagged by Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for their performances in film, TheFighter. Indian musician AR Rahman missed out on his two nominations for his score in 127hours.


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BCCI Cricket Awards 2010-11

Sachin Tendulkar India's Cricketer of the Year

Salim Durani Lifetime Achievement Award

Manish Pandey Highest run scorer in Ranji Trophy

Abhimanyu MithunHighest Wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy

M D Thirushkamini Best Woman Cricketer

K Hariharan Best Umpire

Maharashtra Best Overall Performance

Current affairs, is the mainstay of the civil service examination, what with one portion of the examdedicated to general studies. The current affairs of india and international current event affairs, are animportant part of the general studies paper, both in the mains and the prelims. At the interview currentaffairs news rules and decides the rank of the candidate and even whether s/he will get through or not. Insuch a scenario the coverage of current affairs in india as well as current world affairs, becomes animportant part of your preprations.

Article

People in the News

Places in the News

Discuss Current Affairs

Current Affairs Quiz - new

For the very purpose of getting you ready for the challenge that is Current Affairs In India, we arecovering the 2011 current affairs including politics current affair, current affair news, science currentaffairs, general knowledge current affair, current government affair and international current affairs. Onlystudying India's current affairs or political current affairs is not sufficient as you have to cover international

events and current affairs along with the Indian current affairs, as well as those in the field of science andsports.

Current Affairs For April 2011

National


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Anna Hazares fast against corruption

y Social Activist Anna Hazare started a fast unto death on 5/4/2011 demanding enactment of acomprehensive law like the Jan Lokpal Bill to tackle corruption. Just a couple of days since thenation was recovering from the euphoria of winning the world cup the 72 year old Anna Hazarebegan his fast at Jantar Mantar after taking out a march from Rajghat where he paid tributes to

Mahatma Gandhi. Other eminent activists like Swami Agnivesh, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi andSandeep Pandey were also present to lend support. The fast soon gathered a lot of momentumthrough continuous coverage and brought the government under a lot of pressure. Themovement soon spread to all parts of India where hundreds and thousands of students,housewives, working executives and senior citizens joined the campaign to make the governmentto enact the important new law to fight corruption. Facing intense pressure, the Government,finally agreed to forming a joint committee to draft a stronger Lokpal Bill. The panel will have fivemembers and five representatives of the civil society. It includes Anna Hazare himself, but not asa chairman, lawyers Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan, anti-corruption activist ArvindKejriwal and former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde. While Finance Minister PranabMukherjee will be the Chairman of the committee that will also include Law Minister VeerappaMoily, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Water ResourcesMinister Salman Khurshid as members.

Gopal Das returns from Pak after 27 yrs

y Indian National Gopal Das set foot on Indian soil on 7/4/2011 after spending 27 years in aPakistan prison when he was convicted for charges of espionage. The 52 year old Das was setfree from Lahore Jail after Pakistani President remitted his sentence following an appeal by theSupreme Court on humanitarian grounds. As soon as he set foot in India an emotional Dasbowed down and kissed the soil. He was greeted by his family members including his brother

Anand Vir, two sisters and niece Navjot besides, a dozen people from Bhaini Mian Khan village ofGurdaspur district of Punjab were there to receive him. When speaking to the media Daslamented that the golden period of his youth were spent behind bars in Pakistan. He said I havea grudge against the Indian leadership who has never bothered about Indian prisoners rotting inprisons in Pakistan for so many years. Thirty-two Indian nationals, who have completed their jail

term, are still languishing due to lack of initiative on the part of the Indian government,

Good voter turnout in Assembly Elections For Assam, TN, Kerala and Puducherry

y The Election Commission had announced the election dates for four states on 1/2/2011 - Assam,West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Union Territory of Puducherry. The assembly elections sofar have witnessed a good voter turn out in 2011. Assam witnessed a good voter turn out in bothphases which were held on the 4th and 11th of April 2011 respectively. In the first phase the statewitnessed a 73.03 per cent voter turnout and in the second phase the turnout was 70.35 per cent.

An average of nearly 78 per cent voters exercised their franchise to elect new assemblies in thekey southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and the Union territory of Puducherry on13/4/2011. While Tamil Nadu and Kerala registered a turnout of 75.21 per cent and 74.4 per centrespectively, in Puducherry it was the highest at 85.21 per cent, Deputy Election Commissioner J.

P. Prakash told reporters in Delhi. Meanwhile the election process is currently underway in WestBengal where it is being held in 6 phases, the last date being May 10th. Counting will be on13/5/2011 for all states.

Supreme Court grants bail to DrBinayak Sen

y The Supreme Court on 15/4/2011 granted bail to Dr Binayak Sen who was earlier sentenced tolife imprisonment on charges of sedition and having links with the Maoists by the Chhattisgarhsessions court on 24/12/2011. A bench comprising Justices HS Bedi and CK Prasad passed the


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order after Dr Sen filed a petition challenging the Chhattisgarh court order. The Apex court haddeclared that the evidence on record proved no sedition charge against Sen and at worst termedhim a Naxal sympathizer. The court further observed that mere possession of Naxal Literaturedoe not make the person a Naxalite or guilty of sedition. Dr Sen was arrested in May 2007 whenthe government charged him with aiding the insurgents by passing notes between Piyush Guha,a businessman and jailed Maoist ideologue Narayan Sanyal. Dr Sen has maintained hisinnocence and denies any wrong doing rather said that he was being victimized for his criticism ofSalwa Judum which was a group started by the state government to counter Maoist insurgents.He was released on bail in May 2009. Later a trial court convicted him of sedition and sentencedhim to life imprisonment in 24/12/2010. Following that the High Court in Chhattisgarh rejected Dr.Sens bail application in 10/2/ 2011 which he appealed against and was finally granted bail by theSupreme Court.

Rajdhani Express catches fire, passengers safe

y A fire broke out in the pantry car of the Mumbai Delhi Rajdhani express on 18/4/2011 at earlymorning 2:20 AM. The fire spread to the near by coaches B5, B6 and B7 but an alert pantry staffensured all the passengers were woken up on time and made to evacuate the train ensuringnone of them were killed or injured in the process. They also delinked the affected coaches from

the rest of the train thereby averting a major disaster. Railways gave Rs 10.6 lakh to 212passengers (Rs 5,000 per passenger) as ex-gratia for the inconvenience and loss of baggagedue to the fire in the 12951 Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani. The railways has rewarded the nine staffersof the IRCTC with Rs 3,000 as a "token gesture", Sanjay Jain, Group General Manager of IRCTCsaid. There were a total of 30 pantry staffers in the train at that time.

Shiney Ahuja appeals against rape sentence

y Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja who was earlier sentenced to seven years of rigorousimprisonment for raping his maid has appealed to the Bombay High Court against his sentenceon 19/4/2011. Earlier a fast track court on 30/3/2011 had convicted the actor even as the victimhad turned hostile during the trial. The court had considered circumstantial evidence whichincludes a DNA report which tested positive, torn hymen, blood marks on victim's clothes,

semen found on quilt and curtains and Shineys hand which bore scratch marks of the victim.Shiney on his part has stated in his appeal that he had been falsely implicated and that the lowercourt has erred in law while convicting him.

Kidnapped Mumbai boy KarnitShah returns home

y Five year old Karnit Shah who was kidnapped from outside his home in suburban Kandivali,Mumbai was rescued by the Police from Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh on 20/4/2011. Karnit hadgone missing since 6/4/2011 when he was last seen playing at the premises of his building PranikGardens. Karnit's family pulled out all stops to trace their little boy. His father Anand a stockbroker and his mother Alpa turned to facebook and uploaded photos of their son along withmobile numbers hoping people may be able to help by offering some sort of information abouttheir missing son. Various online communities sprang up as the appeal went viral. Thousands of

people forwarded the boys photos while the Shahs on their behalf also offered Rs Two lakh incompensation for any information that would assist in tracing their son. The incident became anation wide flutter after it generated considerable press coverage as well. The police havearrested the main accused of the case, Sohan Singh, along with his alleged associates SameerKhan, Sandeep Warige and Shankar Salve, where Singh ran a confectionery shop in Kandivaliwhich is close to Karnits residence. The police said children in the neighbourhood had spoken ofa Sunny Uncle, possibly in his 20s, who was spotted lately offering sweets to the children andhis disappearance too had coincided with that of Karnit. After two weeks of relentless chase, the


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Mumbai police with the help of UP Special Task Force traced the boy to a hut in Handia, UP fromwhere he was rescued.

Kalmadi arrested in CWG scam

y Congress MP Suresh Kalamadi was arrested on 25/4/2011 by the Central Buearau of

Investigation (CBI) for irregularities in the CW games. The former Chairman of the CWG wasarrested under the charges for 120 B and 420 (criminal conspiracy and cheating) of the IndianPenal Code. The CBI has charged him with criminal conspiracy to buy timing, scoring and result(TSR) system from a Swiss company at an inflated cost of Rs 141 crore which the agency hasalleged had cost the government Rs 95 Crore extra. Two other senior officials of the OrganizingCommittee - Surjeet Lal and ASV Prasad - have also been arrested in the Time Scoring scam.The 66 year old Kalmadi a Lok Sabha MP for the Congress from Pune has been facing a lot offlak even before the start of the games for construction delays and gross misuse of funds. Someof Kalmadis aides already arrested include Sanjay Mohindroo, M Jayachandran, TS Darbai,Kalmadi's personal assistant Shekhar Deorukhkar, Verma and Lalit Bhanot. Following his arresthe was suspended from the Congress party and soon enough it also brought a halt to his 15 yearold reign as President of the Indian Olympic Committee (IOC). Veteran Sports Administrator VKMalhotra was unanimously named the acting President in his absence.

CBI names Kanimozhi coconspirator in 2G scam

y The CBI on 25/4/2011 has filed a second charge sheet in the 2G spectrum case naming TamilNadu Chief Minister and DMK Chief M Karunanidhis daughter M Kanimozhi as a co conspirator.She has been charged with section 7 and 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The sectionsdeal with acceptance of alleged gratification. The four other who have been charge sheeted withher include Kalaignar TV Managing Director Sharad Kumar, Swan Telecom promoter ShahidUsman Balwa's cousin Asif Balwa, Rajeev Agarwal -- Directors of Kusegaon Fruits andVegetables Pvt Ltd and Karim Murani of Cineyug Films. However Dayalu Ammal wife of the DrKarunanidhi has not been named in the chargesheet. Kanimozhi, Dayalu Ammal and SharadKumar of Kalaignar TV, have 20, 60 and 20% shares in the channel respectively. The CBI hadalready told the court earlier that Rs 200 Crores connected with the spectrum case allegedly was

routed from Balwas Swan telecom to Kalaignar TV. Kanimozhi has been named co conspirator inthe scam along with former telecom minister A. Raja who was arrested in February and stillremains in prison. She has been asked to appear at a court in Delhi on 6/5/2011, which is dealingwith the scam.

Dada Saheb Phalke award for K.Balachander

y K. Balachander, one of Indias most acclaimed and influential filmmakers will receive the DabaSaheb Phalke award for 2010 in an announcement by the Information & Broadcasting ministry on29/4/2011. The award consists of a Swarn Kamal, a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a shawl, givenfor outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema. The prolific directorwho worked as a government servant in his early days was drawn to theatre where he began towrite plays. Following this success a career in films soon beckoned him where he has made

many classics that are well received and appreciated to this day. He was a bold director whoalways tried to explore new themes and many of his movies had strong female characters. Someof the directors famous works in Tamil include Apoorva Raganagal, Thaneer Thanerr, VarumayinNiram Sigappu, Server Sundaram, Sinthu Bairavi etc while the hindi film Ek Duuje Ke Liye wonhim applause in the northern parts of the country as well. K. Balachander has spotted andgroomed several artists in the industry the likes of which include Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan.

Spiritual LeaderSathya Sai Baba passes away


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y Spiritual leader Sathya Baba passed away on 24/4/2011 at the Sathya Sai Hospital in Puttapathi,Andhra Pradesh due to cardio-respiratory failure. The 84 year old Godman was admitted inhospital for the past one month after complaining of breathing and heart problems. The doctorshad described his condition as very critical over the last three to four days when most of hismajor organs stopped responding to treatment. Upon hearing his death a pale of gloom haddescended Puttaparthi and thousands of his followers could be seen mourning his demise.Spiritual guru Sri Sathya Sai Baba was buried on 27/4/2011 as hundreds of thousands ofdevotees flocked to pay their last respects at his temple in Puttaparthi. Queues stretched forkilometres through the town, which has shuttered its shops and businesses since last three days.He was buried with full state honours in the Sai Kulwanth hall from where he used to address allhis devotees over the years. Sai Baba was born as Sathyanarayana Raju in a humble backwardcaste family on November 23, 1926. He emerged as one of the most popular godmen in India inmodern times leaving behind an empire estimated from a conservative figure of Rs. 40,000 croreto a staggering Rs. 1.5 lakh crores raising questions over who will manage the Trust.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu dies in chopper crash

y Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu was found dead in the remote and inaccessibleLuguthang village, about 30 km from Tawang on 4/5/2011. The CM had gone missing on

30/4/2011 when on a flight from Tawang was found dead along with four others after theirhelicopter crashed in bad weather in the mountains regions. The helicopter's wreckage was foundat Lobotang which is situated near Jang water falls in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. The rescueoperations were hampered due to bad weather. The other four members, who accompaniedKhandu in the chopper, were - crew members Captain JS Babbar and Captain KS Malick,Khandu's security officer Yeshi Choddak and Yeshi Lamu, sister of Tawang legislator TsewangDhondup. This is the second death of a chief minister in two years after CM of Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhara Reddy was killed in a helicopter crash in the Nallamalla ranges in the state inSeptember 2009.

AirIndia pilots call off 10-day-long strike

y Air India pilots called off their 10-day-long strike and returned to work on 5/5/2011 night after the

government agreed to reinstate the sacked and suspended pilots and look into their demandswithin a time-frame. The ten day strike has resulted in an estimated loss of over 150 croresinconveniencing thousands of passengers across the country. Civil Aviation ministry officials, theassociation president Captain A S Bhinder along with ICPA general secretary Rishabh Kapur saidthat the government has agreed to look into all the alleged irregularities. Civil Aviation MinisterVayalar Ravi the 3 member committee would give its report in the next few months. The strike byover 800 pilots on 27/4/2011 owing allegiance to the ICPA had resulted in the grounding of up to90 per cent of the airline operations. The Delhi High Court had also slapped contempt notices onnine office bearers of the de-recognized ICPA for disobeying its order to call off the strike.

Arunima Sinha story, whose telling the truth ?

y National-level volleyball player Arunima Sinha alias Sonu, who lost her leg after being pushed out

of a moving train on 11/4/2011 when she tried to fight an alleged robbery attempt. She lost herleft leg after being pushed out of the Padmavat Express when three robbers tried to snatch hergold chain. Following her fall, one of Sinha's legs had to be amputated below the knee. The otherleg suffered multiple fractures as she was hit by a train passing on the adjacent track. She waslater admitted in AIIMS when her leg developed an infection. Since then the 23 year oldsportswoman has been out of danger and recuperating well. She was offered a paltrycompensation of Rs 25,000 which she snubbed following which the railways offered a job to

Arunima. The incident generated lot of press interest and many people including cricketers YuvrajHarbhajan came forward with monetary help for the athlete. However over the Government


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Railway Police (GRP) probe the officials have found many loopholes in Sonus story. Some ofwhich they allege that it might have been a suicide attempt and the passengers of train do notcorroborate with her story. They also allege that location where Arunima was found does notcorroborate with her version of the events. The sportswoman on her part has accused the officialsof mentally harassing her and has refuted their charges.

Sports News

India Wins World Cup 2011

y The Indian cricket team came up with an inspired performance against Sri Lanka in the final to liftthe World Cup in Mumbai on 2/4/2011 bringing to an end the 28 year wait when Kapils Devilshad last lifted the cup in 1983. The World Champions were ecstatic with their victory while battingicon Sachin Tendulkar and Coach Gary Kirsten were given a lap of honour by their team mates.Sri Lanka had won the toss and opted to bat first notching up a formidable 274 runs on board

thanks to an impressive century by Mahela Jayawardhene. Indian run chase started on jitterynote when both openers Sachin and Sehwag were back in pavilion with the score at 31 for 2.However Gambhir and Dhoni who promoted himself up the order came up with a crucialpartnership that helped to take India home. Dhoni finished of the match with a huge six over longon bringing the stadium to its feet and joy across millions of homes in India.

McLaren's Hamilton wins Chinese Grand Prix

y Mclarens Lewis Hamitlon won the Chinese Grand Prix in thrilling fashon on 17/4/2011 by passingRed Bull's Sebastian Vettel for the lead with just five laps remaining. Sebastian Vettel who hadearlier made a strong bid for three straight wins to the start of the Formula 1 season how evercould not hold off Hamilton who looked in sublime touch throughout the race. Red Bulls MarkWebber came in third on drove beautifully to finish on the podium considering he started

eighteenth on the grid. Hamilton on his part was close to being out of contention when he fuelleak was detected in his car. The Mclaren mechanics worked frantically to rectify it. McLaren'sJenson Button was fourth, ahead of Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who allled at various stages at Shanghai International Circuit. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was seventh,ahead of Mercedes' Michael Schumacher, and Renault's Vitaly Petrov, with Sauber's KamuiKobayashi taking the final point in 10th place. With three races completed this season Vettelleads the drivers standing with 68 points followed by Hamilton at 47, Button on 38 and Webber on37.

Duncan Fletcher has been appointed as coach ofIndia

y Duncan Fletcher on 27/4/2011 has been named coach of the Indian cricket team finally endingweeks of speculation as to who would take over the high profile job. Fletcher (62) a former

Zimbabwean all-rounder came to prominence when he coached England and helped them regainthe Ashes in 2005. Under his guidance England won its first series in West Indies in 36 years andthe team rose to the third spot in the Test rankings during his tenure. He captained Zimbabwe inthe 83 World cup and has played in just 6 ODIs during his time when the country hadnt yetachieved Test status. He may not be a part of the team for the West Indies tour, as he has someprior commitments, said BCCI secretary N Srinivasan. He also added that Eric Simmons who wasthe bowling coach during previous coach Gary Kirstens tenure is to continue his stint with theIndian team.


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IPLSeason 4 Starts

y Just days after the Indian team won the cricket world cup the IPL season has started in full swing.IPL 4 is now a ten team event with the two new teams being the Kochi Tuskers and the PuneWarriors. Many players have gone for record prices and it is expected that this years IPL will be avery hard fought contest between the teams with fluctuating fortunes after every match. Two

teams that are being considered hot favourites are the Mumbai Indians and defendingChampions Chennai Super Kings. This is the first IPL event that is happening in the absence ofLalith Modi who created a lot of controversy last year. Now with Indian team riding a good waveof form it is expected the people will tune into the matches in large numbers.

International News

Oscar Nominated Director killed in Libya

y Two veteran journalists including Oscar nominated Director Tim Hetherington were killed in thetown of Mistrata on 13/4/2011 while covering the battles between the rebels and the Libyangovernment forces. Tim (40) was nominated this year for codirecting the Afghanistan war storyRestrepo in Best Documentary category. Chris Hondros, a New York-based photographer forGetty Images, was also killed. His work has appeared in many famous magazines andnewspapers all around the World and has been awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal, which isone of the most prestigious awards for War Photography. Two other journalists Guy Martin andMichael Christopher Brown, who were freelancing for several large publications were alsowounded.

Japan Atomic Crisis Reaches ChernobylLevel as Radiation Climbs

y Japan's nuclear safety agency has raised the severity level of the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear

plant from level 5 to level 7 which ranks it on par with the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. It doesn'tmean it's as bad as Chernobyl but i t's still a negative development nonetheless. There have beenonly two level-seven incidents in nuclear history: the Chernobyl catastrophe 25 years ago in theUkraine and now Fukushima, on the east coast of Japan. The disaster in Ukraine spewed debrisas high as 9 ki lometers into the air and released radiation 200 times the volume of the combinedbombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, according to a 2006 report commissioned byEuropes Green Party. The March 11 earthquake, the nations strongest on record, and tsunamileft about 27,500 dead or missing, according to Japans National Police Agency. Japan wasstruck by two earthquakes stronger than magnitude 6 again on April that hindered recoveringefforts as workers were temporarily evacuated.

Kate marries Prince William

y Prince William second in line to the throne married his long time girlfriend Kate Middleton at aservice in Londons West Minister Abbey on 29/4/2011. The pair exchanged in the presence ofclose to two thousand guests while the rest of the World watched it live on television. It was themost eagerly awaited and anticipated wedding since the Charles and Diana wedding. Middletonlooked beautiful in her ivory and white satin dress with lace sleeves and shoulders, designed bySarah Burton of the Alexander McQueen fashion house. The crowds cheered when the newlyweds travelled in an open carriage on their way back to the Buckingham Palace from the abbey.Hundreds of thousands of people appeared in front of the palace to witness the kiss between thenewly weds from the balcony while street parties where held across the United Kingdom to cheer


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the royal couple. The wedding was watched by close to two billion people across the globe. Thecouple will be known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge following their marriage.

Osama Bin Laden killed in Pakistan

y The worlds most dreaded terrorist Osama Bin Laden has been shot dead by American Navy

Seals on 2/5/2011 after he was found to be staying in relative luxury in a house just few hundredmeters away from a Pakistani military academy in Abbotabad. Bin Laden was shot in the face andchest when the American forces sprung a surprise attack and the whole mission was performedwithout the consent or the knowledge of Pakistan. Obama, in his address to the nation shortlybefore midnight, thanked the Americans who have toiled in pursuit of bin Laden and applaudedthose who carried out the successful mission in Pakistan. For over two decades, bin Laden hasbeen Al Qaedas leader and symbol, Obama said. The death of bin Laden marks the mostsignificant achievement to date in our nations effort to defeat Al Qaeda. This comes as a realembarrassment to the Pakistani government which has been maintaining for many years now thatOsama was not there in Pakistan. And to find him holed up in a facility just yards away from aprestigious military academy which is also just a couple of hours away from Islamabad posesmany tough questions regarding Pakistanis commitment to fighting terror. The US governmenthad further declared that they would carry out such operations again in the future if the need

arises. The US is already mulling over whether they should sanction further aid to Pakistanunless they come up with satisfactory answers regarding how Osama was found where he was.This is a serious intelligence lapse and does not auger well for the country that is already reelingunder various problems that threaten the very fabric of the nation. It remains to be seen how thenation will cope with the allegations.

Syria lifts emergency rule

y Syria's government approved lifting the country's nearly 50-year-old state of emergency on19/4/2011 in an effort to satisfy the one of the key demands of the anti government protestors.But the government also issued a stern warning to call of the protests against President Bashar

Assads hard line rule. Assad the previous week had told his cabinet to remove the state ofemergency in place since his Baath Party took power in March 1963 but added that such a

move would give protesters no more reason to take to the streets. This could give Assad furtherpretext to move against any further marches or rallies. The Syrian population how ever shows nosigns of letting down after being inspired by the successful revolutions of Tunisia and Egypt. Mostof Syrias 23 million people were born or grew up under the strict control of the state ofemergency. Assad hard line rule means strict control over the media, allowing eavesdropping ontelecommunications and permitting arrests without warrants from judicial authorities.

Current Affairs For March 2011

National

Godhra verdict: 11 get death, 20 get life term

y A Sessions Court in Ahmedabad awarded death sentence to 11 people and life term to twentyothers on 1/3/2011. The sentence was pronounced by Additional Sessions Judge PR Patel whohad earlier convicted them of criminal conspiracy in the Sabarmati Express train burning case onFeb 22nd.


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The court had accepted the prosecution's contention that there was a conspiracy behind theincident and convicted 31 under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) like 302 (murder),307 (attempt to murder) and 120B(criminal conspiracy).

They were convicted under IPC section 147, 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), 323, 324,325,326(causing hurt), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on religious grounds), various

sections of the Indian Railways Act, Prevention of Damages to Public Property Act and BombayPolice Act.

The court had acquitted 63 others out the total 94 for lack of evidence including the allegedmastermind Maulavi Hussain Umarji. Fifty nine Kar Sevaks traveling in the S6 coach of SabarmatiExpress were burnt alive near the Godhra railway station on February 2002. This incident causedwide spread communal riots in the State of Gujarat that resulted in the deaths of over 100 people,most of them Muslims. Justice Patel termed the case as rarest of rare and the court has giventhe accused 90 days to appeal in the High court.

SC strikes down CVC PJ Thomas' appointment

y The Supreme Court on 3/3/2011 struck down on the appointment of Chief Vigilance Commisioner

PJ Thomas after a three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia deliveredits verdict on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought his removal. The apex court hasobserved Thomas is a person who is tainted as he was an accused in the palmoline export scam.CVC PJ Thomas soon thereafter submitted his resignation. This has come about as big blow tothe UPA government which is already facing several allegations of corruption. FurthermoreThomas is the country's 14th CVC and was selected by a three member panel that included thePM and the Home Minister. The opposition BJP had been highly critical all along and following hisresignation demanded even the PM to step down. The PM took responsibility for the incident andcited the reason as error in judgement. An IAS officer of 1973 batch of Kerala cadre, PJ Thomasis the eighth accused in the palmolien case. He served as food secretary in Kerala in the early90s during which time he had aggressively campaigned for the import of 1500 tonnes of palm oilfrom Malaysia. Reports later emerged that price paid for the oil- palmolein was unjustifiable high.He has since been fighting allegations of corruption, while the case is still pending in court.

Delhi court accepts CBI's closure report against Quattrocchi

y A Delhi court on 4/3/2011 accepted CBIs closure report seeking to drop all charges againstItalian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi in the two decade old Bofors case. The CBI was lookingat closing all criminal cases against Italian businessman Quattrocchi, who is allegedly one of therecipients of kickbacks in the controversial Bofors gun deal of 1986 which ended up resulting inthe fall of the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1989. Many influential figures were accused ofreceiving payoffs in the deal which involved the purchase of Bofors guns for the Indian army. Theagency has been seeking withdrawal of the case against him as he has never appeared beforeany Indian court to face trial due to lack of evidence, even though a tax tribunal had ruled in Dec2010 that illegal commissions were indeed paid in the deal. The agency had said that its plea towithdraw the case has been filed with bonafide intention as it has spent a huge amount of money

on the investigation but has not been able to arrest the Italian businessman. Chief MetropolitanMagistrate Vinod Yadav observed: "At this moment we have to end the case therefore I allow theCBI plea to close the case. I think the CBI has moved this application to close this case afterapplying their minds, therefore there is no need of wasting public money in continuing theinvestigation." Advocate Ajay Aggarwal, who objected to CBIs application in the court, said hewould challenge the order in the Delhi High Court.

Delhi University student Radhika Tanwar shot outside college


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y Radhika Tanwar (21) a student of Ram Lal Anand College (Delhi University) was shot dead by anunidentified man on the Dhaula Kuan foot-over bridge near South Campus at around 10.30 AMon 8/3/2011. Radhika a second year BA student who lives with her family in Naraina locality ofWest Delhi was shot point blank by the assailant who fled the scene after shooting her in thestomach. Passersby took the girl in an autorickshaw to Safdurjung Hospital where she wasdeclared brought dead. The incident has caused outrage in the Capital which has beenwitnessing increasing episodes of crimes against women, while the world was celebratingInternational Womens Day. The assailant has been identified as 25 yr old Ram Singh alias Vijaywho hails from Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh. He was caught a few days later and Delhi PoliceCommissioner B K Gupta said Vijay suffers from psychopathic obsession. He used to followwomen. He followed Radhika regularly. The immediate trigger was the snubbing of Radhika whenhe tried to speak to her. The police also went on to add Vijay nurtured deep grudge against thevictim after he got beaten up for harassing her and often told his friends that he would avenge thehumiliation whenever he got the opportunity. On 11/3/2011 another student Monica Kirnapurewas stabbed by four people in Nagpur while she was on her way to class from her hostel. Thetwenty two year old girl lay in her pool of blood for ten minutes, a knife sticking out of her back,asking for water. No help came about from the bystanders until Sumedh Wanjaari hired arickshaw to take her to the hospital where she died en route.

SC dismisses Aruna Shanbaug's euthanasia plea

y Aruna Shanbaug a former nurse at Mumbais KEM hospital has been in a vegetative state for thelast 38 years after she was assaulted by a ward boy. A Bench of Justices Markandey Katju andGyan Sudha Misra rejected on 7/3/2011 the euthanasia plea filed by Arunas friend Pinky Viranideclaring the petition stands cancelled. They also added Pinky was not allowed to appeal for themercy killing of Aruna as she was not the staff of KEM hospital. The bench in its 110-page

judgement saw the nursing staff of KEM hospital who have been looking after Aruna for the past38 years as the real next friend of Aruna and declared the patient didnt have a single bed soreduring the period. The apex court however allows passive euthanasia in appropriate cases whichhave been permitted by the concerned high courts. They also added there is no law in the countrypresently in the country on euthanasia and clarified unless the Parliament drafts a law, its standon active and passive euthanasia will stay enforced. Aruna Shanabug was sexually assaulted onNovember 27 1973 by Sohanlal Walmiki who used a dog chain to subdue her which ended upcutting the oxygen supply to her brain damaging vital functions like sight, memory and normalmovement.

Congress, DMK seat-sharing deadlock ends

y After lot of political drama the DMK and the Congress have come to a mutual seat sharingagreement ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections. The DMK party announcedon 8/3/20011 that it will contest for 121 seats while the Congress will contest for 63 under theseat sharing deal for the April 13 Assembly polls. The Congress demand of 63 seats marks anincrease of 15 seats in allocation of what they got during the 2006 Assembly elections. DMK chiefKarunanidhi was initially ready to give 60 seats to the Congress but the Congress unrelentingdemand on having 63 made him unhappy and he threatened to pull out his ministers from the

government. The Congress refused to blink this time and after quite a few rounds of discussionsthe DMK finally relented to the Congress demands. The DMK has agreed to allocate 61 seats, up1 seat from what they previously agreed and another two seats would be allocated to theCongress from the other allied parties of the DMK. Under the seat sharing formula, DMK willcontest 121 seats, Congress 63, PMK 30, VCK 10, KMK 7, IUML 2 and MMK 1 for the 234-member assembly.

A.Rajas close aideSadiq Batcha found dead


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y Sadiq Batcha, a close aide of former telecom minister A.Raja committed suicide and was foundhanging at his residence in Chennai on 16/3/2011. Sadiq Batcha (37) who is the ManagingDirector of Greenhouse Promoters has been under the CBI scanner for his suspectedinvolvement in the 2G spectrum case and was questioned by the agency on February 22nd.Green House Promoters, initially a nondescript company with an equity base of Rs.100,000 in2004, is said to have grown to over Rs.600 crore revenue company within a very short timeframe. Rajas wife Parameshwari is said to have served as a director in the firm but quit during2008. Batcha hails from Rajas constituency Perambalur in Tamil Nadu and initially worked as asari seller until his friendship with the former telecom minister happened in the early1990s.According to the post mortem reports the cause of death has been ascertained asasphyxia while the forensic reports are still awaited. This may come as blow to the CBI in theirinvestigations into the 2G scam.

TN Polls: Parties promise freebies to woo voters

y Ahead of upcoming assembly polls, the political parties of Tamil Nadu have promised a host offreebies to woo the voting public. Top warring parties DMK and ADMK have taken the war offreebies to a new high. While DMK in their manifesto have announced 35 kg of free rice everymonth for below-poverty line families, AIADMK has promised 20 kg of free rice for all ration-card

holders. The ruling DMK party has promised laptops to students in their first year of college whileJayalalithas ADMK party promises them one as early as eleventh standard. While the DMK plansto give women free mixes, grinders its rivals have promised additional fans along with mixies andgrinders. Furthermore Jayalalitha in her bid to woo female voters has promised 4gms of gold for'Thali' (mangalsutra) free of cost to poor, besides offering cable TV connections at subsidisedrates. Some of the other freebies include four sets of uniform and footwear for students, a hike inscholarship upto Rs 5000 from class 10 onwards, women self help groups get Rs10Lakh with 25% waiver, 20 litres of mineral water a day to Below Poverty Line families, six months' maternityleave for women and Rs 12,000 as pregnancy allowance and a host of other promises weremade. This does came as surprise since Jayalalitha was a staunch critic of populist measureswhen the DMK party which came in power in 2006, promised to offer free colour TVs to thepublic and also kept up on its electoral promise. The parties efforts in trying to gain an upperhand over each other by making such steep electoral promises does raise a lot of concerns. Itdoes make one wonder if the State Treasury would be left with any money if such populistmeasures are left unchecked.

WB polls: Cong, TMC reach seat-sharing deal

y The Congress and the Trinamool Congress reached a seat sharing agreement ahead of the WestBengal Assembly Polls. Mamta Banerjee of Trinamool has agreed to offer 65 seats after herrounds of discussion with the Congress party. She had earlier agreed to give 64 seats againstCongress demand of 98. The alliance will fight against CPM led Left Front which has been inpower for almost 35 years now.Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said In West Bengal,Congress will contest 65 seats and TMC will contest 229. We will work in close cooperation to winthe election to defeat the Left from the state.West Bengal will be voting in 6 phases. The firstphase voting is on April 18, second phase on April 23, thir